The Red Jewelry Box: Symbol of Possession and Betrayal in Passions in Death
What Is the Red Jewelry Box?
The red jewelry box is a small, hinged-lid container that Shauna Hunnicut uses to store sentimental pieces from her high-school years. Inside are inexpensive but personally valuable items—a ring, earrings, a necklace—that her then-boyfriend Greg Barney gave her for birthdays, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. Shauna keeps the box in the bottom drawer of her dresser, alongside old gym clothes and other odds and ends. It represents her cherished memories of a friendship that began in middle school and continued into adulthood.
Where the Box Appears in the Story
The box first appears during Eve Dallas’s initial search of Shauna and Erin’s apartment the morning after the murder. Eve sees it in the bottom drawer and notes its contents. Later, in Chapter Twenty-two, when Eve and Peabody bring Shauna back to look for anything missing, Shauna discovers the box is gone. She initially thinks she misplaced it, but Eve confirms she saw it there after the murder. This missing item becomes the key to identifying the killer. Eventually, detectives find the box hidden in Greg Barney’s apartment drawer, along with piano wire used in the murder.
How Its Meaning Shifts Through the Narrative
The red jewelry box changes significance as the investigation unfolds.
| Stage | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Initial discovery | A nostalgic keepsake, evidence of a long friendship and innocent teenage romance. |
| Missing box | A clue that someone close to Shauna—someone who knew about the box—took it, indicating a personal betrayal. |
| Found in Greg’s drawer | Proof of theft and control; Greg’s possessive act becomes a motive for murder. |
| Confrontation scene | A symbol of Greg’s refusal to let go of Shauna and his belief that he knows what is best for her, leading to his confession. |
Shauna initially values the box as a reminder of a happy past. For Greg, the box represents his former claim on Shauna. Stealing it shows he cannot accept her new life with Erin. The box transitions from a private memento to a piece of evidence that unravels Greg’s carefully managed facade.
Character Connections to the Red Jewelry Box
Shauna Hunnicut
Shauna keeps the box for sentimental reasons. She tells Eve she likes looking at the pieces and remembering those days. The box holds memories of a friendship she once treasured—before Greg’s jealousy and homophobia poisoned it. When she realizes Greg stole it, her emotional journey moves from disbelief to acceptance, as her heart and mind align: she knew, somewhere deep down, that her oldest friend could be capable of violence.
Greg Barney
Greg gave Shauna those pieces during their high-school relationship. He continues to refer to her as “Shaunbar,” a private nickname that reinforces his sense of ownership. Despite Shauna’s engagement to Erin, Greg keeps the box in his bedroom drawer, treating it as a relic of his lost claim. His theft of the box is petty and controlling, but it reveals a deeper pattern: he believes he has the right to decide what Shauna should want. This arrogance ultimately leads to murder.
Eve Dallas
Eve remembers the box from her initial sweep—a detail that proves crucial. Her sharp observation skills and ability to connect small clues allow her to identify Greg as the thief. She uses the box as evidence to break Greg’s composure during questioning, forcing him to confess to Erin’s murder.
Erin Albright (Indirectly)
Erin never interacts with the box directly, but her relationship with Shauna is the reason Greg steals it. Greg’s disapproval of their wedding—seeing it as a “deplorable lifestyle”—motivates him to kill Erin and to take the box as a symbolic reclamation of Shauna.
Theme Connections
The red jewelry box ties directly to several major themes in Passions in Death.
- Jealousy and Betrayal: Greg’s theft betrays Shauna’s trust. He takes the box out of jealousy, unable to accept that she chose someone else.
- Trust and Deception: Shauna trusted Greg completely—she even told him where she kept the box. His secret possession of it reflects the deception that underpins his entire relationship with her.
- Passion vs. Control: Greg’s need to control Shauna’s life is a perversion of his earlier affection. The box becomes a trophy of that control, taken to preserve a version of Shauna that no longer exists.
- Friendship and Tribe: The box once symbolized a friendship. Its theft destroys that bond, showing how one person’s rigid definition of loyalty can turn toxic.
- Justice vs. Revenge: Eve uses the box as legal evidence to arrest Greg for robbery, which leads to his confession for murder. The object helps the justice system take its course rather than allowing personal revenge.
Four Study Questions
1. Why does Eve immediately suspect Greg Barney when the box goes missing?
Eve recalls seeing the box in Shauna’s drawer the morning after the murder. When Shauna reports it missing, Eve knows the thief must have known where Shauna kept it and had a reason to take it. Greg is the only person with both knowledge of the box and a possible motive—his disapproval of Shauna’s relationship with Erin. Eve also knows from previous interviews that Greg disapproved and that he called Shauna by the private nickname “Shaunbar.” His controlling nature makes him the prime suspect.
2. How does Greg’s theft of the box reflect his view of Shauna?
Greg steals the box because he still feels entitled to Shauna’s past and her future. By taking the jewelry he gave her years ago, he tries to reclaim a version of Shauna that he controlled. His act shows that he does not see her as an independent adult capable of making her own choices. Even after Erin’s murder, he imagines he can manipulate Shauna’s emotions by keeping the box as a secret souvenir.
3. In what way does the box serve as evidence beyond theft?
The box is the link that allows Eve to arrest Greg for robbery—a charge that lets her bring him into the precinct. Once in custody, she can confront him with other physical evidence: the piano wire and his old communicator containing messages from Erin. The box itself is not the murder weapon, but its disappearance gives Eve the legal justification to search Greg’s apartment and uncover the murder tools. It also provides the psychological pressure that breaks his resistance.
4. How does Shauna’s reaction to the missing box show her inner conflict?
Shauna initially refuses to believe Greg could be responsible. She says she must have misplaced it. As Eve presses her, Shauna’s internal debate surfaces: “In here, I’m not ready to believe he could do anything like this. But in here? I can.” She gestures to her heart and then her head. This split between emotion and logic shows her struggle to accept that her oldest friend has betrayed her so deeply. By the end of the conversation, she acknowledges the truth and trusts Eve to arrest him.
Conclusion
The red jewelry box in Passions in Death is a small object with enormous symbolic weight. It holds not only teenage mementos but also the hidden history of a friendship that curdled into obsession. For Eve Dallas, it is the thread that pulls the whole case together. For Shauna, it is the final proof that the person she trusted most was the one who destroyed her happiness. And for Greg, it is a physical token of a possessiveness that ultimately cost a life. J.D. Robb uses this simple object to explore how love, when twisted by control, can become lethal.